NEW DELHI – India successfully tested its short-range nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni-1 in its eastern state of Odisha on Tuesday, a day after it announced to hike defence budget by 7.81 percent to Rs2.95 trillion.

India media quoting sources said that the indigenously developed surface-to-surface missile, which has a strike range of over 700 kilometers, was launched by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Army.

It was fired around 8:30 am from a mobile launcher off the Dr Abdul Kalam Island in a move to consolidate operational readiness.

The sources said that the ballistic missile successfully achieved the targets during the test. “It was 18th version of Agni-I, which could achieve all parameters within the stipulated time period,” the reports quoted defence sources as saying.

“The trajectory of the trial was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, telemetry observation stations, electro-optic instruments and naval ships right from its launch till the missile hit the target area with pin point accuracy,” Hindustan Times quoted sources as saying.

Equipping with a specialised navigation system, the 15-meter-long Agni-I has capacity to carry payloads up to 1,000 kg, besides carrying nuclear warheads.

The missil was developed by the Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) in collaboration with the Defence Research Development Laboratory (DRDL) and the Research Centre Imarat (RCI).